Boat International Media, the world’s leading superyacht media group, is pleased to announce that Chris Downham has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the company, effective immediately.
Downham joined the company in 2014 as Chief Financial Officer and has worked closely with the shareholders and management team on the redevelopment of the business. This includes the successful relaunches of BOAT International, ShowBoats International and boatinternational.com.
Downham has a strong portfolio of media publishing experience, including as Assistant Managing Editor of The Times of London, as well as leading roles in several publishing start-ups. Prior to that he trained as an accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Downham said, “I am thrilled to be appointed as CEO of Boat International Media. In my two years at the company I have been impressed by the authority, reach and potential of the brand. I look forward to growing our audience through our digital platform, an enhanced events calendar and sustained print excellence. I am relishing the opportunity to work with our partners to connect with Boat International’s growing audience more deeply, and in new and ever more effective ways.”
Andrew Wolfson, Managing Director of co-lead investor Pembroke VCT, commented: “Having worked with Chris over the past two years, I value his passion, managerial abilities and dedication to the business. The results - magazine subscriptions growing by more than 45%, and website traffic up 40% - speak for themselves. I look forward to working with Chris and his wider team to further enhance the brand.”